Splash

3 • in which myles stares

Hope you guys like it.

I can't believe I just did that. I feel like the world's biggest dick.

Before I could even say anything, she ran off with Lillie Toyan. All I heard was her mumbling softly, "never mind," before blushing and leaving for class. As soon as I looked up at that girl, my breath caught in my throat. Woah. Our eyes met and I forgot how to speak. Her eyes were fucking gorgeous. They were deep-set, framed by long, dark lashes, an indescribable shade of blue. Or was it green? I couldn't figure them out. I stared into her eyes for a solid 2 seconds without even saying anything, I just was at a loss for words. She probably thinks I'm both an idiot and a dick now. How could I have not seen her before? "Noah, who was that girl that tried to talk to me?" I asked my best friend.

He only laughed. "She's new, you dipshit. She was just asking you what your name was, even though you already told it to her earlier." I did? There was no way I would forget meeting a girl like that. But damn, after Riley got there, it's like I had tunnel vision or something, and I couldn't even think straight. Everything that happened after Riley got there was easily forgotten. That girl did stuff to me without even trying.

Noah looked over at me and noticed my distraught expression. "Hey, don't worry about it. You'll get to meet up with her later, at lunch or something. She seemed pretty tight with Riley's crew." Riley. Just the thought of her made my heart pound. Stop it, you can't do that anymore. She's not yours, she never was. I just can't help it, though.

"I don't remember meeting her. I was just kinda out of it back there. Is she cool?" I asked, wanting to know more about her. Even though my thoughts were mainly focused on Riley, for some reason, this girl, whose name I don't even know, was lingering in the back of my mind.

Noah noticed my sudden interest with a smirk. "Yeah, she seemed a little shy when I first met her but she started to loosen up pretty quickly. She seems pretty fun to be around. Maybe she'll get invited to Ryan Dale's block party on Friday. The baseball guys would love her," Noah laughed.

For some weird reason, I felt a tingling in the pit of my stomach as he said that last sentence, but I brushed it off as hunger. There was no way I could possibly be jealous over this girl I don't even know. "Huh, forgot about the block party. I don't know if I'm really down to go this year," I groaned. A guy in our grade, Ryan Dale, threw a huge block party the first Friday of every school year, and the whole school was invited, Cardiff students only. A lot of people thought of it as the party of the year, but it was always the same old, same old. It was just another excuse for people to get wasted, have sex, get high, and hook up with people they won't remember in the morning but if they do, they have an excuse because hey, it's the block party. I so was not up for another night of all my friends trying to set me up with some random girl, trying to get me over Riley. It's always the same: I meet a girl, I don't like her, we don't talk anymore, one of my friends comes over to save her from her misery of hanging out with grumpy ol' me. It usually results in all my friends getting trashed and me being the only one sober enough to drive them home.

"Oh, you are so going to that party. I'm sick of seeing you mope around over Riley. You're going to that party and you're going to meet a girl and have fun. I'm not saying get laid or wasted or high or anything, I just want you to loosen up. You've been in a crappy mood this past week. Personally, I think someone's a little salty that they're gonna come to school and see the new golden couple all lovey-dovey," Noah teased me.

I was so close to punching him.

"Shut up," I simply replied, "look, I'll only go this party if you'll get off my back about Riley. Okay? I'm trying my best to get over her."